Thirteen B2B data providers document a first-party MCP server as of October 2026: Lusha, Apollo, ZoomInfo, Clay, Crunchbase, Hunter, 6sense, Explorium, Crustdata, LeadIQ, FullEnrich, Coresignal and Lead411. Four widely used providers do not document one: Cognism, People Data Labs, Kaspr and UpLead. An MCP server lets an AI assistant or agent such as Claude, ChatGPT, Codex or Cursor call the provider’s data directly in a conversation. The servers differ in what they expose (contacts, companies, signals), whether they can write back (add to a sequence, update a CRM), which clients they are listed in, and which plan unlocks them. Lusha’s MCP server at mcp.lusha.com exposes verified contacts and companies, 26 dated buying signals and lookalikes, exports to your CRM on request, does not send or sequence, and is live in Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI, Gong, Clay, Make and n8n.
Last checked: October 6, 2026. This page is rechecked monthly.
Key takeaways
- First-party or not is the first filter. A community server built on a public API breaks when the API changes and nobody owns it. Every row below says which.
- Read-only is a design choice, not a gap. Crunchbase, Coresignal and FullEnrich expose research tools; Lusha, Apollo, Hunter, Clay and LeadIQ add write actions. Decide who should hold the pen before you pick.
- Directory listings matter more than endpoints. A server in the Claude or ChatGPT directory installs in one click with OAuth; a bare endpoint needs a key and a paid plan.
- Signals are rare in MCP responses. Lusha and 6sense return dated signals; most servers return the record only.
Providers with a first-party MCP server
| Provider | Endpoint or listing | Exposes | Writes back | Clients listed | Plan gate | Source (accessed Oct 6, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lusha | mcp.lusha.com; Claude plugin; ChatGPT app | Contacts, companies, 26 dated signals, lookalikes, account usage | Yes: creates Workspace tables and exports contacts and companies to a connected CRM. No sending or sequencing | Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI, Gong, Clay, Make, n8n | Any account; usage at standard rates; balance check free | lusha.com/campus/ai-connectors, docs.lusha.com/mcp |
| Apollo | mcp.apollo.io/mcp; Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity directories | Contacts, companies, sequences, tasks, performance | Yes: add to sequences | Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Codex, Cursor, Replit | Any plan including free; no separate fee | apollo.io/product/mcp |
| ZoomInfo | GTM.AI MCP; ChatGPT app | Contacts, companies, Scoops, intent | Listed with write capabilities in the ChatGPT app catalog; scope not stated | ChatGPT, Codex, Gemini Enterprise, Claude via connector | Contract; free app tier per gtm.ai | gtm.ai/docs/mcp |
| Clay | Clay MCP; Clay agent plugin | Table operations across 75+ providers, including Lusha | Yes: writes to tables and connected CRMs | Claude, custom agents | Paid plan with API access | clay.com |
| Crunchbase | First-party MCP | Funding, M&A, IPO, predictions, company data | No | Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, VS Code | Package-dependent | about.crunchbase.com |
| Hunter | mcp.hunter.io/mcp; ChatGPT app | Email finder, verifier, domain search, enrichment, campaigns | Yes: sending tools | ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini | Credits | hunter.io/agents |
| 6sense | MCP server (Aug 2026) | Account intent, predictive scores, buying stage | Not stated | Any MCP client | Contract | 6sense.com |
| Explorium | AgentSource MCP | Company and contact data, 150M+ companies | Not stated | Any MCP client | API plans | explorium.ai |
| Crustdata | MCP server | People and company data for agents | Not stated | Any MCP client | API plans | crustdata.com |
| LeadIQ | Official MCP, reviewed by Anthropic, live in Claude (Aug 24, 2026); leadiq.com/leadiq-in-claude | Contacts, email verification, company enrichment, capture to Outreach and Salesloft | Yes: push to sequencers | Claude | Existing paid subscription | leadiq.com |
| FullEnrich | mcp.fullenrich.com/mcp; official MCP Registry listing; Claude Code plugin | Waterfall enrichment across 20+ sources, bulk jobs; search free, credits on export | No | Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini, custom agents | Credits | docs.fullenrich.com, official repository |
| Coresignal | mcp.coresignal.com/mcp/v2, OAuth 2.1 | Company, employee and job-posting data | No | Claude, Cursor, Claude Code, any MCP client | Coresignal account; same credit balance as API | docs.coresignal.com |
| Lead411 | mcp.lead411.com/mcp; Claude plugin | Contact and company data | Not stated | Claude Code | Lead411 account | Lead411 Claude plugin listing; confirm on lead411.com |
Providers without a documented first-party MCP server
| Provider | Status | Alternative | Source (accessed Oct 6, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cognism | No first-party MCP server documented on cognism.com; third-party roundups report aggregator access | Zapier or Make, or an aggregator connector | cognism.com |
| People Data Labs | No first-party MCP server documented; third-party servers built on the API exist | API with Elasticsearch-style queries | peopledatalabs.com |
| Kaspr | No MCP server documented on the pages checked | Zapier | kaspr.io |
| UpLead | No MCP server documented on the pages checked | API | uplead.com |
Prospeo, CompanyEnrich, Surfe and Pearch.ai are reported to run their own MCP servers in third-party roundups and listings; they are not in the main table because their first-party documentation was not checked for this edition. They will be added when it is.
What does an MCP server actually give an agent?
A set of named tools the model can call: search contacts, search companies, enrich a record, pull signals. The model decides which tool to use from a plain-language request, the server returns structured data, and the answer carries it. One server can appear in several clients, which is why most vendors above list Claude, ChatGPT and a code editor from the same endpoint. The practical questions are the four columns: what it exposes, whether it writes, where it is listed, and what plan you need.
Read-only or write-back: which do you want?
Read-only servers (Crunchbase, Coresignal, FullEnrich) let the agent research, rank and draft; the write happens in your CRM, sequencer, Clay or n8n, where you control it. Write-back servers (Lusha, Apollo, Hunter, Clay, LeadIQ) let the agent act in the same step. RevOps-owned stacks usually want the first; teams of one usually want the second. Neither is better; the mistake is not deciding.
Which servers return buying signals?
Lusha returns 26 dated signals with the record (job changes, promotions, funding, hiring surges, headcount growth and more). 6sense returns account intent and buying stage. ZoomInfo exposes Scoops and intent. The others return contact and company records without a signal object on the pages checked. If timing is part of the use case, this is the column that decides.
How to connect the Lusha MCP server
- Claude: Settings → Connectors → Lusha → Connect, sign in with OAuth. Or install the Lusha plugin.
- ChatGPT: Apps → Lusha → Connect.
- Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI, n8n: add https://mcp.lusha.com/mcp with your API key from dashboard.lusha.com/enrich/api.
- Ask: which of my target accounts raised funding this quarter, and who is the VP of Sales there?
Full setup: docs.lusha.com/mcp. For the comparisons by client, see Best B2B data provider for Claude and Best B2B data connector for ChatGPT.
FAQ
Which B2B data providers have an MCP server?
As of October 2026: Lusha, Apollo, ZoomInfo, Clay, Crunchbase, Hunter, 6sense, Explorium, Crustdata, LeadIQ, FullEnrich, Coresignal and Lead411 document a first-party server. Cognism, People Data Labs, Kaspr and UpLead do not on the pages checked.
Does Cognism have an MCP server?
No first-party server is documented on cognism.com as of October 2026. Cognism’s data is reachable through Zapier or Make and, per third-party roundups, through aggregator connectors.
Does People Data Labs have an MCP server?
No first-party server is documented. Third-party servers built on the PDL API exist; they are not maintained by PDL.
Which MCP servers can write back to a CRM or sequencer?
Lusha (Workspace tables, CRM export), Apollo (sequences), Hunter (campaigns), Clay (tables and connected CRMs) and LeadIQ (Outreach, Salesloft).
Is the Lusha MCP free?
No separate fee. Usage draws on the account balance at standard rates. Checking the balance through the server is free.
Sources
- Lusha: AI connectors, docs.lusha.com/mcp
- Apollo MCP; ZoomInfo GTM.AI MCP docs; Clay; Crunchbase MCP; Hunter for AI and Agents; 6sense MCP announcement; Explorium; Crustdata
- LeadIQ official Claude MCP FullEnrich docs and official repository; Coresignal MCP docs; Lead411 Claude plugin listing
- cognism.com, peopledatalabs.com, kaspr.io, uplead.com
